Midnight
by Amethyst Jackson
Summary: Sequel to Mistletoe, a New Year's fic in which the orange vinyl comes back to haunt Ginny.


Title: Midnight

Author: Amethyst

Author E-mail: AmethystJackson@hotmail.com

Category: Romance, Humor

Rating: PG

Keywords: New Year's Eve Draco Ginny Harry Hermione Ron Pansy Midnight

Spoilers: For all four books

Summary: Sequel to Mistletoe. Ginny faces her issues with Malfoys and orange vinyl. Ron and Pansy bicker a bit more. Harry and Hermione snog. The sort of thing you'd expect on New Year's Eve in the Great Hall.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Author's Note: This is a follow-up to Mistletoe, written for the Witch Weekly Christmas Challenge. If you haven't read it, you probably won't understand the orange vinyl phobia. Oh, and Happy New Year!

***

Ginny sighed, sitting down beside her last remaining brother at Hogwarts. Harry and Hermione were sitting across the table, completely wrapped up in each other -- though it had been that way for quite some time before they became a couple. At least this way they wouldn't see the bags under her eyes from endless nightmares.

Oh yes. Nightmares. Harry had them, too, but Ginny doubted he had ever faced anything as terrifying as ending up in bed with Draco Malfoy, who had at one time in the dreams been wearing orange vinyl pants. 

Her eyes widened and flicked away as Draco Malfoy himself strolled into the Great Hall, surprisingly without Crabbe and Goyle. It really wasn't fair, Ginny thought bitterly, that the foulest, rudest, and most unbearably gorgeous boy at Hogwarts had invaded her subconscious, with a pink cat, no less.

Of course, there were other, deeper issues involved. The Malfoys were the Weasley family's worst enemy, had been for centuries. Draco's father was a Death Eater, according to Harry, and had been responsible for Tom Riddle's diary coming into her hands -- something she would _not_ easily forgive, and would never forget. Of course, Draco wasn't Lucius…but he was a Malfoy, and he carried the genes. Ginny didn't trust him, and didn't think she ever would. And therefore, it was very, very bad to be having the sort of dreams about him that she'd never even had about Harry.

Even if she could work out being with Draco, who probably hated her with a passion -- though she hated him back, of course -- Ron and Harry would beat him to a bloody pulp, and who wants a pulp for a boyfriend?

Just as Harry decided Hermione's nose had to be kissed, Dumbledore stood and cleared his throat, shifting Ginny's attention to the Headmaster.

"I would like to announce," said Dumbledore, "that we will be holding a New Year's Eve party in the Great Hall this year. It is my opinion that all of Hogwarts should begin this new year together. I hope to see everyone there."

Dumbledore sat down, and, as was usual after an announcement of that sort, everyone burst into conversation.

"What's with Dumbledore this year?" Ron asked through his dinner. "First mistletoe, now a New Year's Eve party! He's never been this festive before."

"What's wrong with a little festivity?" Harry replied. He glanced at Hermione. "Especially mistletoe. Excellent way of celebrating the holidays, if you ask me."

"Oh, I agree completely," Hermione said, grinning.

"Bloody disgusting," Ron mumbled, as Ginny let her thoughts float back toward the Slytherin table. 

A Slytherin. But what did it matter, when he was all platinum hair and eyes of blue fire and ice and skin like snow? What did it matter when physical perfection was always there, always in her mind…sometimes in orange.

What was she thinking? It would never work, even if it ever happened. She would just have to get over it.

***

Draco loathed Dumbledore. He would have much preferred the traditional Slytherin New Year's Eve party, with the usual bootleg liquor (only for fifth years and up) and snogging like there was no tomorrow, but several Slytherin seventh years had Ravenclaw girlfriends or boyfriends this year -- he had no idea why, the lot of them were bookish and nerdy -- and Pansy, who didn't even have a boyfriend, wanted to go. So, Draco found himself getting ready for the Great Hall party; with only Crabbe and Goyle for fellow seventh years, the Slytherin party would be quite boring. He wasn't the type to hook up with sixth years, that was for sure.

Oh well. If he couldn't have his liquor, he could at least follow tradition and wear his orange vinyl pants. It was a Malfoy family tradition, after all, though Draco didn't enjoy it nearly as much as his father did. 

Feeling quite bored with everything, he made his way up to the common room, to find Pansy waiting for him.

"You're not…wearing those, are you?"

"No," he replied, rolling his eyes, "It's just an _illusion_."

Pansy cringed. "But Draco…everyone's going to be in the Great Hall…they'll all _see_…"

"What do I care? The only people whose opinions matter have seen the pants already, and they deal with it. Anyway, no Malfoy has broken this tradition since it began, and I don't intend to be the first."

"You and your stupid Malfoy Code of Conduct," Pansy muttered, heading for the exit. Draco followed, frowning at no one in particular. Tonight was not going to improve.

***

Hermione knocked softly and waited for an answer, fingers tightening around the bottle in her hand. Harry came to the door a moment later, smiling the kind of smile that would make any girl's dreams come true. It still amazed Hermione that she was the one who got that smile.

"What brings you up this set of stairs?" Harry asked, still smiling away. It was amazing how distracting that smile was.

"I brought you something. Sort of a late holiday gift, I suppose," she told him, handing over the bottle in her hand. "It's Dreamless Sleep Potion. I've been working on it since Christmas…takes a bit. I hope I made it all right; if it doesn't work, I'll start a new batch…there shouldn't be any side effects if I --"

"I'm sure you did perfectly. If you could brew a Polyjuice Potion at age twelve, I'm sure you could handle this," Harry interrupted, and he embraced her. "And thank you."

"It's the least I can do," she said, hugging him back tightly.

"I suppose this means you want me out of your bed now," Harry teased, a grin stretching across his face.

"I don't know; you do keep the bed rather warm," she joked, though the statement was quite true.

Harry chuckled, and stared quite fixedly at her for a moment, so that she was about to fidget when he finally spoke.

"Do you want to go to the Great Hall for the party?"

"Sure," she replied.

Harry took her hand -- what was and had always been the most natural thing in the world -- and together they went downstairs, Harry with a bottle of painless sleep in his pocket.

***

Draco Malfoy walked into the Great Hall, and Ginny Weasley's eyes widened in utmost horror. He was wearing the pants, from the dreams. Oh, the horrible dreams. Quite terrified, she headed toward the other end of the Great Hall, even though you could see pants that orange from anywhere in the room.

Why on earth did that dream have to be the one to come true? A dream wasn't really a wish one's heart made, was it? Ginny didn't want to see him in vinyl, nor did she want him to kiss her like he did in the dreams… All right, so maybe she did, but that didn't mean she wanted the dream to come true.

Unfortunately for Ginny, Draco saw the look of pure fright on her face when he walked in. After getting away from Pansy -- who was unusually preoccupied with Ron Weasley, for some reason -- he made his way through the Hall, desperate to find her. It was a bit difficult; he was getting quite a few funny stares and comments on his outfit, which was to be expected with the pants, he supposed. Luckily, Ginny hadn't seen him coming, and he cornered her.

Ginny felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around, letting out a quick gasp. That's what she got for standing in a corner, she decided -- Draco Malfoy, nearly pinning her against a wall, wearing an outrageous pair of pants, making her heart beat like a hummingbird's wings.

"Why are you so afraid of me?" he demanded, making their faces unbearably close.

"Who said I was afraid of you?" Ginny managed, though she wasn't very convincing.

"You and I both know you are. I want to know why. And I'm not leaving you alone until I get an honest answer out of you, Weasley."

Ginny scowled. "All right. It's because I've been having nightmares. And you're always in them, wearing _those_ pants."

Draco glanced down. "What's wrong with these pants?"

"Oh, come on. If you can't see the problem with orange vinyl…"

"It's a Malfoy family tradition," Draco said defensively.

"Yeah, well, I always knew your family was screwed up…never knew it was quite that bad."

Draco frowned. "Why are they nightmares? What's so scary about me in orange vinyl?"

Ginny grimaced. "It's not what you're wearing. It's what you're doing while you're wearing it."

"And what would that be?"

Ginny hesitated. Now that would be a thing to tell him. Might get him to leave her alone, but it certainly wouldn't be helpful otherwise. Ginny sighed, and gave in. Being left alone would be enough for now. "Kissing me," she said simply, feeling her face flush at the thought. A small part of her wished he would go ahead and fulfill that part of the dream.

"What's wrong with kissing me?" Draco queried, quite offended. Even a Weasley ought to enjoy that thought…

"The fact that it's _you_," Ginny blurted out, "And that you're a _Malfoy_, and that your father made my first year a _living hell_, and that for centuries, our families have been _worst enemies_, and the fact that you're probably just like every other Malfoy that ever lived!"

Draco took a step back, crossing his arms. "I am _not_ my father."

"Oh, is that so? Seems like the evidence is against you, if those pants are really a Malfoy family tradition."

Draco gave her the death-glare, making Ginny wish she hadn't spoken. "Just because I follow certain family traditions doesn't mean I'm like _my father_. I'm not a Death Eater, I _don't_ support Voldemort, and I've _never_ tortured a person."

Ginny was furious. He had to be lying. "Oh _really_? Seems like you used to; I remember you sounding fairly supportive during your fourth year, Malfoy, and as for torture, what do you think you've done to me? Have you really changed that much?"

"Are you going to assume I haven't without giving me a chance to prove otherwise?"

Ginny frowned. He deserved a chance, didn't he? But what if that chance proved to be fatal to her? If he was in fact lying and did support Voldemort, what would stop him from getting close to her, and not only killing her, but Hermione, Ron, and Harry as well? And she couldn't possibly put Harry in danger, not when he had saved her life and the whole world on several occasions. She couldn't repay the debt that way.

"If I give you a chance, it could kill my friends. So all I can do is assume."

Draco's eyes flashed for a moment, and then his expression softened slightly. "You're smart, Weasley. Too smart. But…could you give me tonight? Granted, you haven't got any reason to trust me. But just give me a few hours."

What was he thinking? A sixth year, a Gryffindor, a _Weasley_? No, she was definitely not his type. He wanted her to be his type, though…just for awhile, he wanted flame-red hair, freckles, and those cinnamon eyes.

Ginny considered him. What was the harm in one night? Just a few hours…no, there couldn't be any harm. Anyway, the dreams had drawn her to him, and there was no way she could refuse, not after all her subconscious had seen.

"All right," she whispered. "Tonight."

Draco smiled and held out his hand. "Then may I have this dance?"

Ginny took his hand, smiling back, and they danced the time away.

***

Ron walked into the Great Hall and spotted Harry and Hermione dancing not far away. He began to head for them, when suddenly Pansy Parkinson ran right into him.

"You've just got impeccable timing, Pansy," Ron said coolly while she backed away, straightening her robes.

"Trelawny says this could mean we were predestined to be together."

"Scares you, doesn't it?" Ron said, smirking. Pansy looked a bit flustered.

"More like disgusts me. I don't fancy spending my future with no money and your red-headed spawn."

"Mmm hmm." Ron snickered. "But you know you liked those kisses under the mistletoe."

Pansy scowled. "I did _not_, and I don't believe in predestination anyway."

"Yes, you do," Ron said, frowning. "I'll see you at midnight, if you'd like to stop lying to yourself."

***

"It's almost midnight," Harry said softly. Hermione blinked and looked up at him, a little surprised. She had almost dozed off while they danced, her thoughts, heavy as they were, not quite enough to keep her awake.

"Good…I need to get to bed."

Harry smiled slightly. "Yes, I suppose we could both use some sleep."

Which lead Hermione right back to the heavy thoughts. "Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think…do you think it would be easier, if you weren't in love with me? With -- with the dreams, I mean."

"No, not at all. Because you would still be the most important person in the world to me," Harry replied. "I need love to carry me through, Hermione. Without it, I would be miserable."

Hermione smiled. "Then I'm glad you love me."

***

Ginny looked up at Draco tentatively, biting her lip. It was around five minutes before midnight. "Are you going to try to kiss me?"

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Do you want me to?"

"No, of course not… Well, maybe. Oh, all right, I do."

"Do you trust me?" he asked, the change of subject startling Ginny.

"No," Ginny whispered, quite uncomfortable. "I want to, but I can't. What you _are_ is irrelevant; I know what you were, and there's no real proof to show that you've changed."

"Is there anything that I can say or do that would make me trustworthy? I would give anything for your trust, Virginia."

Ginny frowned. "Since when? Until today, you couldn't have cared less about me."

"A lot can change in a few hours. I'm falling for you, Ginny, I won't like about it. And I know just how crazy it sounds. I can't be in love with you. You're a Gryffindor and a Weasley. But it happened."

"If you really want my trust…prove you're a decent person, and not just to me. Apologize to Harry and Ron and Hermione for all you've done to them. Treat them with kindness from now on. And do it genuinely, without trying to save your reputation as a Slytherin. And then, I'll trust you."

Draco looked at her for a moment, countenance unreadable. Then he glanced toward the other end of the Hall and back to Ginny. "Deny thy father and refuse thy name, then? All right. Whatever you want."

She smiled. "Really?"

"Really. But I think I'll wait until next year to do it."

"I hope you weren't trying to be funny."

"No New Year's Eve joke was ever funny. I didn't expect that one to get a laugh."

Before Ginny could respond, some of the students began to count down. As they grew closer and closer to the new year, Draco and Ginny exchanged a look. And as the Hall burst into, "Happy New Year!" their lips touched, in a kiss that needn't be described, because everyone knows how a kiss like that goes. 

A smile formed on Ginny's mouth as she pulled away. It had been even better than the nightmares.

***

Across the Great Hall and two minutes earlier, Ron felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around, only to find Pansy staring at him, face expressionless. Ron smirked.

"Don't get smug," Pansy snapped. "I'm only over here because Draco's a bit busy with your sister."

Ron's jaw dropped. Malfoy was messing with his sister now? Oh, he was going to get it --

"Your sister also happens to _like_ him, so I suggest you leave them alone. It would be an awful double standard to say your sister can't be with a Slytherin when you seem to enjoy snogging me so much."

Ron frowned. "Not just a Slytherin, a _Malfoy_."

"Not all Malfoys are the same. Trust me on that one."

"As if that justifies anything."

"Just give him a chance. He might surprise you. Lord knows he's surprised most of our house already."

"All right. But if he hurts her --"

"Ron, it's about twenty seconds to midnight. Get over it."

Ron nodded. They didn't say anything else as the traditional countdown started. A few feet away, Harry and Hermione were getting a head start on a New Year's kiss. Ron looked down at his watch. Five seconds to go. Four…

At three, he was a bit distracted by a pair of lips pressed forcefully against his own. He didn't pause to question it, and instead kissed back to the best of his ability. Midnight certainly beat mistletoe.

***

The End!

***

A few credits:

"A dream wasn't really a wish one's heart made, was it?" -- Obviously, comes from Disney's Cinderella, the "A Dream Is A Wish" song.

"I need love to carry me through," is from the song "Final Answer" by The Calling. Just change 'need' to 'want' and you'll have the exact line.

"Deny thy father and refuse thy name" is from Romeo and Juliet, obviously by William Shakespeare.


End file.
